


Cut the Strings

by Lady_Faulkner



Series: Huxloween Prompts 2018 [6]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Brendol Hux's A+ Parenting, Forbidden Love, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Mind Control, M/M, Mind Manipulation, Power Imbalance, Power Play
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-07-29 18:58:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16270355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Faulkner/pseuds/Lady_Faulkner
Summary: Armitage and Ben shouldn't be together. Their parents are political rivals and Brendol is homophobic to boot. But they've been dating in secret for two months now and things are going great. Until Brendol discovers their relationship. He's always had a plan for his son and if Armitage is going to follow that plan, he will need to forget all about Ben Solo.





	Cut the Strings

**Author's Note:**

> Well...this took a darker turn than I planned. Enjoy!

Hux slowly closed the backdoor behind him. It was an hour past curfew but with any luck, Brendol would be asleep.

“Armitage Gilroy Hux.”

_Crap._

The kitchen light flicked on, illuminating Brendol Hux who was still dressed in his suit and tie.

“Where were you?” he inquired sharply.

“Out with friends, sir,” Hux replied, his heart racing. “We went to the movies.”

Brendol frowned, “Friends, is it?”

“Yes, sir,” Hux quickly affirmed.

“Friends like, Ben Solo?” Brendol accused, pronouncing Ben’s name as if it were a cuss word.

 _How does he know about Ben? No, no, stay calm. He’s only trying to rattle you._ “He’s a friend of Poe - ah, Sergeant Dameron’s son. I had no idea he was going to the movies with us,” Hux lied. “Otherwise, I would have stayed home.”  

“Would you have?” Brendol challenged, stepping towards his son.

“Yes, sir, of course,” Hux gulped. “I know better than to associate with the son of your political rival.”

“Is that what you call it?” Brendol returned darkly.

“Sir?” Hux inquired nervously.

“My old buddy Phasma saw you and Solo at Dairy Queen after your movie got done,” Brendol explained.

_Shit! I told Ben that was a bad idea._

“And he was kind enough to send me pictures,” Brendol added.

Hux’s heart sank as his father pulled out his phone and showed him one of the pictures. Ben had his arm around Hux’s waist and Hux was cupping Ben’s jaw as they kissed.

“How long has this been going on?” Brendol inquired coldly.

Hux sighed, at this point it was better for him to come clean. “Since August,” he admitted.

“You’ve been spending time with that Solo boy behind my back for two months,” Brendol sneered.

“Yes, sir, I have,” Hux returned.

Brendol squared his shoulders then grabbed Hux’s wrist. Hux fought against his father’s iron grip but was forcefully pulled towards the basement stairs.

“Let me go!” he protested.

“Don’t fight me, Armitage,” Brendol snapped.

“Please, sir, I love him!” Hux cried desperately.

“Not for long,” Brendol replied.

Hux’s eyes widened and he fought even harder against his father’s grasp. “What are you going to do?” he demanded. “If you hurt Ben-!”

“-You’ll thank me later,” Brendol returned.

“Let go of me!” Hux yelled as his father dragged him into the basement. “Let me go!”

 

* * * * * *

 

Hux stepped into school on Monday feeling like someone had stuck his finger in an electric socket, resulting in an out of body experience. He was aware that he was walking down the hall to his locker, but it felt like he was on autopilot. When he tried to switch to manual, his thoughts came so sluggishly, it was like his head was underwater. Autopilot was simpler. Better.

A dark-haired boy with broad shoulders was leaning against Hux’s locker when he approached. Their eyes met and Hux was struck by the unguarded vulnerability of the boy’s soft brown eyes.

“Armie,” the boy breathed, moving towards him.

Before Hux could process what was happening, the boy’s arms were wrapped around his chest and his head was resting on Hux’s shoulder.

“You’re okay,” the boy affirmed.

“Um, sorry, but do I know you?” Hux inquired awkwardly.

The boy pulled away from him and raised an eyebrow. He was clearly expecting Hux to make a joke but when he didn’t, horror filled the boy’s eyes.

“Armie?” he whispered. “Babe, it’s me.”

“I don’t know you,” Hux insisted, “and please, don’t call me that.”

“How many fingers am I holding up?” the boy demanded, raising three fingers.

Hux stared at him, “Three.”

“What’s your name?” the boy continued.

“Who the fuck are you?” Hux returned. “And why are you harassing me?”

The boy’s face crumbled and his eyes watered. “Babe, what did he do to you?” he breathed. “It’s me. It’s Ben. Your boyfriend?” He reached for Hux’s hand but Hux pulled away.

“I’m not gay. I don’t have a boyfriend, and I don’t know you,” Hux insisted. “Now, please, leave me alone.”

“Armie,” Ben pleaded.

“Leave me alone!” Hux half-shouted.

Ben took a step back then took off down the hallway while Hux shrugged off the encounter and opened his locker.

Hux went to class and allowed his morning to pass on autopilot. At lunch, he searched for his friend, Phasma, and was surprised to see her sitting at their usual table with Ben.

“Hey, Phasma,” Hux greeted, sitting beside her.

She blinked and stared at him for a moment. “Ah, hey, Hux,” she replied. “How are you?”

“Not bad,” he shrugged.

Phasma looked from Hux to Ben, who gave her a pleading look. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Phasma inquired.

“Yes, Phasma,” Hux returned. “And since when do you easily make friends?”

Phasma opened her mouth in shock.

“Armie,” Ben whispered.

“I _told you_ to stop calling me that,” Hux snapped before storming off.

Hux fumed for the rest of the day, happily letting his body run on autopilot until the final bell rang. He sped-walked to his locker then stormed out to the parking lot where his father was waiting for him.

“How was your day?” Brendol inquired as Hux slammed the car door.

Hux’s anger suddenly evaporated as he tried to remember how his day had actually gone.

“Did something happen?” Brendol pressed as he pulled out of the parking lot.

“There was this boy who tried to talk to me,” Hux reported. “I’ve never met him before, but he insisted that….”

“Out with it!” Brendol demanded.

“He kept insisting that I was his _boyfriend_ ,” Hux sneered.

Brendol glanced at his son. “Who was this again?”

“He said his name was Ben,” Hux replied.

“Ben Solo?” Brendol inquired.

“How the fuck should I know?” Hux snapped. “I only just met him!”

Brendol tried not to smile. “If he is Ben Solo, you need to stay away from him,” he advised. “His mother is a political rival of mine and if she wins the election, it will be hell to pay.”

Hux nodded in agreement. “It won’t be any trouble,” he assured Brendol. “That lunatic can go back to whatever asylum he escaped from.”

When they got home, Hux sat down at the dining room table and began his homework. About twenty minutes later, the phone rang and Brendol answered it.

“Armitage,” he shouted, “it’s for you.”

Hux sighed, rose from the table, and took the phone from his father.

“Hello?”

“Hey Hux,” Phasma’s voice replied. “I’m struggling with a chemistry question, could you come over and help me with it?”

“No,” Hux said firmly.

“...The hell Hux?” Phasma exclaimed.

“You know I’m not supposed to leave the house after school,” Hux explained. His voice sounded hollow and unnatural in his ears, but Hux ignored it.

“Since when?” Phasma protested. “Tell your asshole of a father that you’re coming over to my house. My dad is here, so we’ll be supervised.”

“No, Phasma,” Hux insisted.

“Fine,” she muttered.

“Goodbye, Phasma,” Hux said.

“Wait! Wait! Hux?” Phasma exclaimed.

“Yes?” he sighed.

“Um...did I ever tell you about my birthmark?” Phasma inquired cautiously.

Hux laughed, “Phasma, you don’t have a birthmark. Goodbye now.” He hung up and moved to put the phone up, but something else was demanding his attention. A half-remembered memory floating through his waterlogged brain.

_He was sitting on the floor of Phasma’s basement. She was sitting on his right, Poe Dameron on his left, and Ben was sitting directly across from him. They were playing a game of Poe’s invention; strip the bottle. It started with a game of poker after which, the winner would play spin the bottle. Whomever the bottle pointed to had a choice; lose an article of clothing, or kiss the person who had spun the bottle._

_Hux had won the poker game with a royal flush, and when he spun the bottle, it pointed to Ben._

_“Oooooh!” Poe smiled. “Strip or smooch?”_

_“Smooch,” Phasma hissed._

_Hux looked at her. She had already lost her shirt to Poe, and the sun shaped birthmark on her stomach was visible._

_“Strip,” Poe countered._

_Ben’s cheeks reddened and he leaned forward. Hux’s eyes widened and their lips met. Immediately, both of them deepened the kiss, their tongues fighting for dominance in Hux’s mouth._

_“Woah!” Poe exclaimed with a smile. “Easy boys!”_

Hux broke out in a cold sweat and his hands began to tremble. The pressure was growing in his waterlogged brain and he swore his head was going to bust open.

“Armitage?” Brendol’s voice whispered.

Hux dropped the phone and grabbed handfuls of his own hair. “Help me,” he pleaded.

“Let’s go to the basement,” Brendol said, offering Hux his hand.

“Why?” Hux inquired while taking his father’s hand.

“You’ll thank me later,” Brendol replied.

 

* * * * * *

 

For the rest of the week, Ben stood by Hux’s locker and tried to talk to him before school. Hux did his best to ignore him, but a few of Ben’s statements struck unnerving cords.

“You kept a stray kitten in your father’s toolshed as a kid. You named her Millicent, and you cried when your dad found out and killed her.” - Not even Phasma knew about that.

“Your dad wants you to go into politics, but you want to be an artist.” - No one knew that.

“You’ve always felt out of place because you’re constantly striving to please your father. You know that you need to get away from him, but you feel trapped. ‘Like a puppet on iron strings, made to dance to a poisoned tune,’ as you put it.” - Hux couldn’t argue with that. It perfectly summarized the feelings he’d kept locked away for years. And the simile sounded like something he would come up with.

On Friday, Hux had a splitting headache and he felt like his autopilot function was malfunctioning. Brendol had suggested that he stay home, but Hux had fought him, saying that he was fine. He knew exactly who to blame for his headache.

Ben was leaning against Hux’s locker like normal and when Hux saw him, his vision doubled.

_“Ben!” he exclaimed, dashing to meet him._

_“Armie!” Ben smiled, opening his arms._

_Hux ran into his warm embrace and they held each other close, not caring who saw them. Eventually, Ben kissed Hux’s hair and they broke apart enough to see the other’s face._

_“I love you,” Hux confessed._

_Ben’s eyes sparkled and he smiled. “I love you too, Armie.”_

Hux took a deep breath and his vision cleared. Ben was standing beside him, his eyes wide.

“Are you okay?” he breathed.

Hux looked at him; he needed answers and this insufferable boy was the key. He grabbed Ben’s wrist and led him into the boy’s locker room.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Hux demanded. “Are you trying to make me go mad?”

Ben stared at him in confusion.

“Whenever I see your face, all these...images override my brain until I’m almost physically ill,” Hux explained.

Ben took a step closer to Hux, “What images?”

“Us in Phasma’s basement playing some stupid game...strip the bottle?” Hux elaborated. “And just now, I saw myself running up to you in the hall and claiming to love you.”

“Do you? Love me, I mean?” Ben asked cautiously.

“You’re a demanding, clingy, asshole who stands by my locker everyday, who uses my mother’s nickname for me and insists that I’m your boyfriend,” Hux snapped.

“...But, do you love me?” Ben pressed.

Hux threw up his hands in frustration, “I just told you-!”

“-No, you actually didn’t,” Ben cut in.

“What?” Hux said in confusion.

“You never said that you didn’t love me,” Ben clarified, stepping closer to Hux. “And I don’t think you can. Whatever your dad has done to you, it hasn’t fully erased your feelings for me.”

Hux felt another wave of nausea wash over him.

_“It’s not that I don’t, it’s that I can’t,” he told Ben._

They were standing in the locker room the Monday after Ben had kissed him during strip the bottle.

_“What do you mean?” Ben inquired._

_“My father is extremely homophobic. If he ever finds out that I’m gay, he’ll kill me. And the fact that you’re Leia Organa’s son only makes things worse.”_

_“But, you love me?” Ben pressed._

_“Yes, you unobservant clod!” Hux exclaimed._

_“And, you want to be with me?” Ben inquired._

_“Yes,” Hux confessed._

“Armie?” Ben said nervously.

“Ben?” Hux breathed, tears clouding his vision. Ben looked terrified, and Hux supposed he had good reason to be, considering that his legs had given out under him. “Ben. Peaches, it’s okay now. It’s me.”

Ben knelt beside Hux and touched his cheek. Hux leaned into his touch before being pulled into Ben’s arms.

“Ben, I’m here. I’m here now. I’m here, peaches,” Hux wept, his tears staining Ben’s shirt.

“Shh,” Ben whispered. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you, babe.”

“That bastard did something to me,” Hux informed him. “He locked up parts of my brain; he made me forget how much I love you! And, Ben, I love you _so much!_ ”

Ben tightened his embrace around Hux’s trembling body.

“He was waiting for me after the movie. He decided that I needed to forget you. He dragged me to the basement…. He-he made me his mindless puppet.”

Ben rested his forehead against Hux’s and began rubbing his back.  

“Whenever I tried to remember, he would pull me back down there to be restrung,” Hux continued.

“Armie, did he hurt you because of me?” Ben inquired. “Did...did trying to make you remember me…?”

Hux cupped Ben’s face in his hands. “No, Ben, please don’t think like that!” he begged. “Peaches, I would still be his puppet if it wasn’t for you. You saved me.”

“If he finds out, he’ll hurt you again,” Ben whispered.

“He’s not going to,” Hux vowed. “Ben, please, help me break free from him for good.”

Ben hesitated, Brendol wasn’t much taller than him, but just as strong, if not more. “How?”

“Come by after school,” Hux instructed. “If you catch him off guard, you can overpower him.”

“Armie, wait, what are you planning?” Ben exclaimed.

“It’s time to cut the strings,” Hux replied before pressing a warm kiss to Ben’s mouth.

 

* * * *

 

Ben pulled up to Hux’s house ten minutes after he and Brendol had gotten home. Ben still had no idea what Hux was planning, but he didn’t lack motivation. He had endured a week of Hux not remembering how much they loved each other and it had nearly killed him. Hux was the best thing in his life and he wasn’t about to lose him again.

Ben got out of his car and walked around to the back door. He knocked twice and heard movement inside before the door was yanked open.

“What do you want?” Brendol demanded.

“I want to see my boyfriend,” Ben returned, sounding braver than he felt.

Brendol chuckled, “Your _boyfriend?_ You wouldn’t mean Armitage, now would you?”

Ben’s heart pounded in his chest. “Yes, I do.”

“Armitage!” Brendol hollered into the house.

“Yes, father?” Hux replied sweetly, walking into Ben’s field of vision. “Who is this?”

Ben’s blood ran cold and Brendol gave him a wolfish grin. “Seems he doesn’t know you.”

“Armie,” Ben pleaded.

Hux’s forehead wrinkled in confusion.

“Babe, please, it’s me,” Ben said desperately. “It’s Ben. We’ve been boyfriends for two months and you mean _everything_ to me. I love you.”

Brendol laughed while Hux studied Ben’s eyes. “You do?” he inquired skeptically.

“Yes,” Ben replied, his heart breaking.

“I love you too, peaches,” Hux smiled.

Brendol’s eyes widened and Ben took advantage of his confusion to shove Brendol towards the basement stairs. Brendol lost his balance and tumbled down the steep steps.

“Armie,” Ben breathed, grabbing his shoulders.

“Wait up here for me,” Hux said, his voice cold.

“What?” Ben protested.

“Promise me, Ben,” Hux demanded.

“I promise,” Ben said nervously.

Hux kissed him before descending into the depths of the basement.

“How the fuck did you -?” Brendol’s voice demanded.

“You’ll thank me later,” hissed Hux’s voice in reply.

An uneasy silence followed and Ben started pacing the kitchen, waiting for Hux to return. Two hours later, he heard footsteps on the stairs and turned in time to see Hux emerge, followed closely by Brendol. His arm was in a sling and blood stained bandages encircled his forehead.

“Is this him?” Brendol eagerly inquired, pointing to Ben.

“Yes,” Hux praised, his voice sickly sweet, “that is my boyfriend, Ben.”

Brendol gave Ben a broad smile, “It’s so nice to finally meet you!”

“Likewise,” Ben replied nervously.

“You seem like a nice young man,” Brendol commented. “One who will take good care of my boy.”

“I would like nothing more,” Ben smiled, looking at Hux.

Hux smiled back before crossing the room to stand beside him.

“Hux?” Ben nervously protested.

“Don’t worry,” Hux whispered in Ben’s ear. “He’s my puppet now.”

A chill ran up Ben’s spine as he processed the sinister implications of Hux’s words.

“Something wrong, peaches?” Hux mused.

**Author's Note:**

> I know nothing about poker, so if anyone wants to write a fic involving a full game of strip the bottle, go for it! Just give please give credit for the idea if you do :)


End file.
